Paris Saint-Germain Judo, commonly known as PSG Judo, is a French professional

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

club based in the city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is the judo department of parent club

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...

. Having already existed between 1992 and 2003, the section was refounded in 2017. Their home ground is the CMG Dojo, located inside the CMG One Italie sports complex. It houses the training facilities of the professional judokas but also the club's youth system, the Paris Saint-Germain Academy Judo. First established in September 1992 on the initiative of former judoka

Thierry Rey Thierry Rey (born 1 June 1959) is a French judoka, world and olympic champion. He won a gold medal in the extra lightweight (60 kg) division at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

, PSG Judo was the first section of the club to win a continental trophy. Led by star judokas

David Douillet David Donald Hubert Roger Douillet (; born 17 February 1969 in Rouen) is a French politician and retired judoka. Douillet won two consecutive gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and Sydney competing in the heavyweight di ...

, Cécile Nowak,

Djamel Bouras Djamel Bouras (born 11 August 1971 in Givors, Rhône) is a French judoka of Algerian origin. He won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. See also *List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences The following is an incom ...

and

Frédéric Demontfaucon Frédéric Demontfaucon (born 24 December 1973) is a French judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.� ...

, the Parisian team clinched the Champions League in 1995 and the French 1st Division Senior Championships in 1997. After that, however, the club experienced a steep decline, leading to Canal+'s disengagement in 2002 before finally cutting ties all together with PSG in 2003 and continuing life as Paris Judo under new owners

Lagardère Group Lagardère S.A. () is an international group with operations in over 40 countries. Based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the group was founded and created in 1992 by Jean-Luc Lagardère under the name Matra, Hachette & Lagardère. Headed ...

. Driven by

, who was part of the section's original iteration, PSG Judo was officially refounded on September 1, 2017. Paris Saint-Germain president

Nasser Al-Khelaifi Nasser bin Ghanim Al-Khelaifi (; born 12 November 1973) is a Qatari businessman, sports executive, and former professional tennis player. He is the chairman of beIN Media Group and Qatar Sports Investments, president of Paris Saint-Germain FC, ...

announced the news through a press release. He also confirmed the signing of French judoka star

Teddy Riner Teddy Pierre-Marie Riner (, ; born 7 April 1989) is a French heavyweight judoka. An eleven-time world champion in the heavyweight (+100 kg) division, two-time openweight world champion and one-time world champion with the French men's te ...

as the figurehead of the project, while

and Nicolas Mossion were appointed president and head coach, respectively. Initially a male-only project, PSG Judo ended up being a mixed-gender team. Since their comeback, PSG's male and female teams have enjoyed domestic and European success. The men's outfit kicked off by claiming the French 2nd Division title in 2019. Then, both sides won the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

in 2021, as well as back-to-back French 1st Division Championships in 2022 and 2023, making PSG the first club to achieve the male-female double at national and international level. The female team also clinched the club's second Champions League title in 2023, PSG Judo becoming once again the first section of the club to win the competition.

Organization

CMG Dojo

The CMG Dojo is the home of Paris Saint-Germain Judo. It is located inside the CMG One Italie sports complex at

Porte d'Italie The Porte d'Italie is one of the city gates of Paris, located in the 13th arrondissement, at the intersection of the Avenue d'Italie, the Boulevard Massena, the Avenue de la Porte d'Italie and the Rue Kellermann, facing Le Kremlin-Bicêtre. Th ...

in the

13th arrondissement of Paris The 13th arrondissement of Paris (''XIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of Paris. In spoken French, the arrondissement is referred to as ''le treizième'' ("the thirteenth"). The arrondissement is ...

. Decorated in club colors, the 180m² dojo houses the training facilities of PSG's professional judokas. PSG Judo president

, star judoka

and representatives of parent club

's other sporting sections came together to inaugurate it in October 2018. PSG male footballers

Kylian Mbappé Kylian Mbappé Lottin (born 20 December 1998) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for club Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid and Captain (association football), captains ...

Layvin Kurzawa Layvin Marc Kurzawa (born 4 September 1992) is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Primeira Liga club Boavista. Kurzawa began his career at Monaco in 2010, and played 96 official games for the team, scoring eight goal ...

and

Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of N ...

, PSG female footballers

Laure Boulleau Laure Pascale Claire Boulleau (born 22 October 1986) is a French former footballer who played for the Division 1 Féminine club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). She primarily played as a defender and was a member of the France women's national footbal ...

and

Ashley Lawrence Ashley Elizabeth Marie Lawrence (born June 11, 1995) is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, full-back or a midfielder for Women's Super League club Chelsea F.C. ...

, PSG handballers

Bruno Martini Bruno Ludovic Jean Roger Martini (25 January 1962 – 20 October 2020) was a French professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His professional career was closely associated with Auxerre, for which he played 13 years. Having won more t ...

and

Daniel Narcisse Daniel Narcisse (born 16 December 1979) is a retired French handball player and French international from 2000 to 2017. He is a double Olympic champion, quadruple World champion and triple European champion, one of the most awarded French te ...

, and PSG Esport players Daxe and Ferra were amongst those present in the inauguration ceremony.

Academy

Since 2023, the club have implemented the Paris Saint-Germain Academy concept in the field of Judo. Established in different countries, the Paris Saint-Germain Academy Judo is headquartered in the CMG Dojo. The academy is open to all age categories and is managed by Nicolas Mossion.

Campus PSG

Campus PSG Campus PSG, officially known as the Campus Paris Saint-Germain, is the Training ground (association football), training ground of Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. Located in Poissy, it replaced the Camp des Loges, ...

, located in

Poissy Poissy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Inhabitan ...

, will be PSG Judo's new

training ground A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important ...

and

sports complex A sports complex is a group of sports facilities. For example, there are track and field stadiums, football stadiums, baseball stadiums, swimming pools, Olympic Parks, and indoor arenas. Asia * Azadi Sport Complex * Cebu City Sports Com ...

. Owned and financed by parent club Paris Saint-Germain, the venue will bring together the male football, handball and judo teams and academies. Each department will have its own dedicated facilities. Construction began in February 2020 and is expected to end in June 2023. The capital club will invest around €350m.

History

Creation and inaugural season

After basketball and handball,

and owners

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

set their sights on judo. Alliance 77, a club based in Lagny, was chosen to become PSG's judo section and Canal+ acquired it in September 1992. Created a year earlier after bringing together several Parisian clubs, Alliance 77 was the brainchild of its president

Thierry Rey Thierry Rey (born 1 June 1959) is a French judoka, world and olympic champion. He won a gold medal in the extra lightweight (60 kg) division at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.1980 Olympic champion turned judo consultant on Canal+. Olympic gold medalist and world champion Cécile Nowak, Laurence Sionneau and Karine Petit joined the women's side, while French international judokas Nasser Néchar, Philippe Démarche and

Bertrand Amoussou-Guenou Bertrand Amoussou-Guenou (born May 29, 1966) is a retired French mixed martial artist and judoka. He is a trainer for his younger brother Karl of ''Team Amoussou'' and, following official recognition of mixed martial arts in France, became the p ...

were the big signings of the men's outfit. The recruitment was promising and it allowed PSG to be at the forefront of French judo during their inaugural 1993 season, in the company of Orléans. In February 1993, Rey and PSG organized the 22nd edition of the

Grand Slam Paris The Paris Grand Slam (Super ''A-Tournament Tournoi de Paris'' until 2004, ''Super World Cup Tournoi de Paris'' until 2008) is an international, judo competition held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, as part of the IJF World Tour ...

at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, welcoming the elite of world judo and fielding nine of the club's judokas. The next step of the project was to sign a big name, and

, the greatest hope of French judo, was the obvious choice. Licensed to fellow Parisian club Maisons-Alfort, his arrival was formalized in October 1993. Douillet's impact was immediate, leading PSG to victory in a friendly tournament at Boulogne-Billancourt in November 1993.

Champions League winners

The 1994 season began with a final challenge for Cécile Nowak. Aged 26, she decided to put an end to her career after the French team championships in Reims in January. The club's female side finished in third place, while the men's team were beaten by Orléans in the final. In March 1994, as part of president Thierry Rey's jubilee, PSG won the Capitals tournament ahead of German outfit Abensberg, confirming their continental ambitions. The male squad, despite the absence of star David Douillet in the first two rounds, had a good run in the Champions League. Douillet's return for the semifinals against Berlin in Lagny did not bode well, though; he was defeated for the first time in two and a half years as PSG crashed out of the competition. PSG opened the 1995 season with a new let-down at the French team championships in Tours in January. With both teams level in the final, the men's title slipped away from the capital club in the tie-breaking match as Nasser Néchar lost to Orléans' Laurent Calléja. The women suffered the same fate, falling to Levallois in the final. PSG turned their season around in November 1995, when the club's male team were crowned European champions in Germany. Following their success against hosts Abensberg in the semifinals, the Parisians defeated Ukrainian side Taifun Dnipro in the final and became the third French club to win the Champions League after Orléans and Racing. It was also PSG's first international title, all disciplines combined. The club's hangover from their continental triumph led to a disappointing 1996 season. David Douillet, not up to speed just yet, witnessed from the stands the men's loss to Racing in the semifinals of the French team championships in Lyon in January. The women went one better but fell to Levallois in the final. Weakened by long-term injury absentee Douillet, involved in a serious motorcycle accident, current holders PSG then failed to defend their European crown, finishing fourth behind Orléans in the final four organized by the club at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin.

French champions

The ambitious signings of

and

, coupled with the return of David Douillet to training in January, seemed to herald a promising 1997 season. Victory at the Schaenbeek International Tournament in April confirmed these expectations. In October, after PSG's win over Dnipropetrovsk, Bouras tested positive for nandrolone, thus being ruled out for the Champions League final and risking three years of suspension. Douillet also had to forfeit because of pain in his left shoulder. Destabilized by these events, and missing their two stars, PSG narrowly lost the final to German team Abensberg. Granted a suspended sentence of four months to prepare his defense, Bouras was finally part of PSG's winning team at the French 1st Division Senior Championships. Having completely dominated AC Boulogne-Billancourt in the final, the Parisians secured their first national title. 1998 saw a decline in fortune for the club, with an injury-riddled Douillet, Karine Petit's departure from a PSG women's side lacking in ambition, and the two-year suspension of Bouras in April by the doping commission of the

French Judo Federation French Judo Federation (, is the sports association that aims to promote the practice of Judo and related disciplines composed of Jujutsu, Kendo, Iaido, Sport Chanbara, Jōdō, Naginata and Sumo. History Created on December 5, 1946 under the n ...

. Further, Jessy Euclid, one of the club's biggest young talents, passed away in a car accident in May at only 23 years old. A minute of silence was observed during PSG's victory against Romanian outfit Oradea in the Champions League. Some good news were a fourth-consecutive continental semifinal, despite the absence of Douillet due to a wrist injury, and the new-found facilities at L'Aquaboulevard de Paris, a dojo finally worthy of the club's standing. In November, following a successful appeal by Bouras, the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; , TAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sy ...

allowed him to take part in the final four of the Champions League in Germany. With Douillet still injured, Bouras and PSG managed to oust Abendsberg, German hosts and three-time European champions in the last four seasons, but yielded in the final to Dutch side Kenamju Haarlem in a unfavorable atmosphere, the German public booing Bouras. For the French 1st Division Senior Championships, Bouras was once again at the centre of controversy. The club heavily relied on him since new recruits Franck Bellard and Karim Boumedjane were unavailable and Douillet was out through injury, but Bouras refused to fight claiming angina as the team finished third. Angered, president Thierry Rey even threatened to exclude him from the club. Demontfaucon, newly-crowned national champion at the French individual championships, was now the great hope of a PSG in need of stars, after the failed season of Bouras and Douillet.

Rebirth of PSG Judo

Paris Saint-Germain president

announced the relaunch of Paris Saint-Germain Judo, the club's judo department, on September 1, 2017. The press release was accompanied by the presentation of French judoka

, who signed until 2022 to spearhead the project, and the appointment of Djamel Bouras as club president. Nicolas Mossion, for his part, was named sporting director, academy director, coach and performance manager of PSG Judo. Julien Boussuge and Laurent Calléja were also signed as coaches. Judo at the club is not new. The section existed already between 1992 and 2003, and boasted the likes of Olympic champions David Douillet and Djamel Bouras as well as a young Teddy Riner, who rose through the ranks of the Parisians. This first iteration of PSG Judo shone on the domestic and continental tatami mats in the 1990s, with the men's team winning the Champions League in 1995 and the French 1st Division Senior Championships in 1997. At first, this new version of PSG Judo was supposed to be composed of a male-only team of judokas of all ages. Teddy Riner was the club's sole judoka during its first year. The other judokas contacted to join him in the new Parisian project were not convinced by the proposed contractual conditions: one-year fixed-term contracts, accompanied by unattractive salaries (less than 4,000 euros a month).

Walide Khyar Walide Khyar (born 9 June 1995) is a French judoka. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's 60 kg event, in which he was eliminated in the second round by Felipe Kitadai. In 2021, he won the silver medal in his event at the 2021 J ...

(European −60 kg champion),

Benjamin Axus Benjamin Axus (born 28 September 1994) is a French judoka. He participated at the 2018 World Judo Championships, winning a medal. He won one of the bronze medals in his event at the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Paris held in Paris, France. On 12 Nove ...

(French −73 kg champion) or Pape Ndiaye (French −81 kg champion) notably declined the proposal. In consequence, PSG's initial male-only approach changed to a mixed-gender project. Ahead of their 2018–19 redebut season, they signed several judokas, including female junior European champion

Faïza Mokdar Faïza Mokdar (born 16 July 2001) is a French judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大� ...

, to compete alongside multiple men's world champion Teddy Riner. The club also inaugurated its home ground, the CMG Dojo, located inside the CMG One Italie sports complex at

in the

National and European doubles

In the 2019–20 season, the men's senior side celebrated the national title at the French 2nd Division Championships. It was PSG's first major trophy since 1997 as well as their first since their revival in 2017. 2020–21 saw the arrivals of

Marie-Ève Gahié Marie-Eve Gahié (born 27 November 1996) is a French judoka. She is the 2017 European bronze medalist and the 2019 World champion in the 70 kg division. On 12 November 2022 she won a gold medal at the 2022 European Mixed Team Judo Champ ...

, Romane Dicko,

Alpha Oumar Djalo Alpha Oumar Djalo (born 5 September 1996) is a French judoka. Djalo won a medal at the 2019 World Judo Championships. Personal life Djalo was born in Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over ...

, Luca Otmane, and

Amandine Buchard Amandine Buchard (born 12 July 1995) is a French judoka. She represented France at the 2020 Summer Olympics winning the silver medal in the half lightweight event and a gold medal in the mixed team event. She is a third dan black belt. Caree ...

, all of whom helped the male and female teams finish third at the French 1st Division Senior Championships. The club also reinforced its coaching staff with Florent Urani. Ushered by Teddy Riner, together with newcomers Dicko, Buchard and Otmane, PSG returned to the European stage in 2021–22 and claimed an unprecedented double at the Europa League in December 2021. It was the club's first continental participation since 1994, its first European titles since 1995 and its third such title overall. PSG's men and women teams won their finals, respectively against Russian side UWS Yekaterinburg (5–0) and Swiss outfit SGS Sports (4–1), and hence clinched a spot in next year's Champions League. Both sides repeated the feat on the national stage at the French 1st Division Senior Championships in May 2022. Riner guided the men's squad to victory, while Gahié and Dicko made sure PSG became the first team to achieve the male-female double at the French nationals. Ahead of the 2022–23 campaign, PSG announced contract extensions for several of their key martial artists, including flagship judoka Teddy Riner (2024), Romane Dicko (2025), Marie-Ève Gahié (2024), Alpha Oumar Djalo (2024), Arnaud Aregba (2023), Faïza Mokdar (2024), and Luca Otmane (2024). The club also renewed the contracts of young talents Mélanie Vieu, Martha Fawaz, Driss Masson-Jbilou, Eniel Caroly and Khamzat Saparbaev until 2023.

Alexis Mathieu Alexis Mathieu (born 14 September 1999) is a French judoka. He won a medal at the 2021 World Judo Championships The 2021 World Judo Championships were held from 6 to 13 June 2021 in Budapest, Hungary. Schedule ''All times are local (Centr ...

joined the Parisian outfit as well, penning a two-season deal until 2024. Making the club's first Champions League appearance since 1994, the women's team led by 2022 World Champion Romane Dicko claimed the bronze medal after being defeated in the semifinals against future winners US Orléans Loiret JJ. PSG's male side, meanwhile, finished in a disappointing seventh place. Both teams, however, pulled together on the domestic scene to retain their respective titles at the French nationals in May 2023.

Second Champions League title

After the signing of Belgian coach Damiano Martinuzzi, the capital club further strengthened its squad ahead of its second consecutive participation in the Champions League during the 2023–24 season. In their quest for European glory, PSG's ambitious transfer policy remained unchanged. Proven champions

Margaux Pinot Margaux Pinot (born 6 January 1994) is a French judoka. In 2020, she won the gold medal in the women's 70 kg event at the 2020 European Judo Championships held in Prague, Czech Republic. In 2021, she competed in the women's 70 kg event at the ...

Luka Mkheidze Luka Mkheidze ( ka, ლუკა მხეიძე, born 5 January 1996) is a French judoka of Georgian descent. Mkheidze came to France with refugee status in 2010. He won the silver medal in the men's 60kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics ...

and Aleksa Mitrovic joined in September 2023. Same as

Priscilla Gneto Priscilla Gneto (born 3 August 1991) is a French judoka, Olympic bronze medalist at the London 2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international ...

and

Audrey Tcheuméo Audrey Tcheuméo (born 20 April 1990) is a French judoka. She won respectively bronze and silver medals in the women's −78 kg events at the 2012 and the 2016 Summer Olympics. She has also won medals at the World Judo Championships and European ...

later that month. Georgian trio

Lasha Bekauri Lasha Bekauri (born 26 July 2000) is a Georgian judoka. He won the gold medal in the men's 90kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. He also won the gold medal in his event at the 2019 ...

Tato Grigalashvili Tato Grigalashvili (; born 1 December 1999) is a Georgian judoka. He won the silver medal in the men's 81kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. He is a four-time medalist, including three gold medals, in the men's 81kg event at ...

and

Lasha Shavdatuashvili Lasha Shavdatuashvili ( ka, ლაშა შავდათუაშვილი; born 31 January 1992) is a Georgian judoka. Shavdatuashvili is one of the most successful judoka of the early 21st century, having won Olympic medals at the 2012, ...

followed suit in November, while British judoka Lucy Renshall was the last to arrive in December. PSG also signed with

Qatar Airways Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. (, ''al-Qaṭariyya''), operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, the airline operates a hub-and-spoke network, flying to over 170 internatio ...

until September 2024, in what was the club's first-ever sponsorship deal. And the club's investment paid off. The female team won the Champions League for the first time after defeating fellow French team JC Pontault Combault 3–0 in the final. Gneto, Renshall and Marie-Ève Gahié secured the early victory, meaning Romane Dicko and Amandine Buchard didn't have to compete anymore. It was the club's second Champions League title in judo, after that of the men's team in 1995, as well as the first such trophy for a PSG women's section and the first for any current PSG department. The Parisians were also untouched on their way to the final, beating JC Bosna 3–0 in the quarterfinals and

Galatasaray Judo Galatasaray Judo () is the Judo section of Galatasaray S.K., a major sports club in Istanbul, Turkey. There is also a Judo school in Burhan Felek Sports Complex. Member judoka Female judo champion Majlinda Kelmendi became the first Kosova ...

3–1 in the semifinals. The male side also improved their result from last season, but could not get past home team OJK Belgrade in the semifinals. They managed, however, to snatch third place and the bronze medal against Georgian team Golden Gori.

Honours

Judokas

Seniors

Juniors

Personnel

Management

Technical staff

References

External links

* {{Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Paris Saint-Germain FC 2017 establishments in France Judo clubs Judo in France